Herman Walter Keiser (October 7, 1914 – December 24, 2003) was an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour, best known for winning the Masters Tournament in 1946, his only major title.
Career Keiser was born and raised in Springfield, Missouri. Like most professional golfers of his generation, he earned a living primarily as a club professional. His first job was as the assistant golf professional at Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio. He eventually became head professional at Firestone Country Club in Akron. Keiser's serious demeanor earned him the nickname, The Missouri Mortician, among his fellow golfers.
In 1942, Keiser interrupted his career to join the U.S. Navy for three years during World War II. He served as a storekeeper aboard . Keiser was discharged in 1945 and returned to play on the PGA Tour. Despite the long layoff, he earned second-place finishes to Sam Snead at the Greater Greensboro Open, to Buck White at the Memphis Invitational, and twice to leading money winner Ben Hogan, at the Dallas Invitational and the Phoenix Open. However, he achieved golfing immortality at the 1946 Masters Tournament when he took the lead on the third hole and never looked back, defeating Hogan by one stroke to earn $2,500 in first-prize money. Keiser described his Masters win as "the greatest thing that ever happened to me." He won two more PGA Tour events that season.
Keiser was part of the American team that won the Ryder Cup in 1947. While the United States defeated Britain, 11–1, Keiser's loss to Sam King (4 and 3) prevented the Americans from a clean sweep.
Keiser retired in the 1950s, having won five tournaments during his PGA career. His only top ten in a major was his victory at Augusta in 1946. He returned to live in Ohio, where he purchased a driving range.
Personal life He died in Akron in 2003 from complications of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 89.
Professional wins
PGA Tour wins (5) 1942 (1) Miami Biltmore International Four-Ball (with Chandler Harper) 1946 (3) Masters Tournament, Knoxville Invitational, Richmond Open 1947 (1) Esmeralda Open
Major championship is shown in bold.
Source:
Other wins this list is probably incomplete 1939 Iowa Open 1949 Ohio Open 1951 Ohio Open
Major championships
Wins (1) YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up1946 Masters Tournament 5 shot lead −6 (69-68-71-74=282) 1 stroke Ben Hogan
Results timeline Tournament1940194119421943194419451946194719481949Masters TournamentT23NTNTNT1T24T10T11U.S. OpenDQT26NTNTNTNTT38T14CUTPGA ChampionshipR32R64NTR64R64R64R64
Tournament1950195119521953195419551956195719581959Masters TournamentT14T39T56CUTCUTCUTU.S. OpenCUTPGA ChampionshipR64R64R32
Tournament1960196119621963196419651966196719681969Masters TournamentCUTCUTWD45CUTWDCUTCUTCUTWDU.S. OpenPGA ChampionshipCUT
Tournament1970197119721973197419751976197719781979Masters TournamentCUTWDCUTCUTU.S. OpenPGA Championship
Tournament198019811982Masters TournamentWDU.S. OpenPGA Championship Note: Keiser never played in The Open Championship.
NT = no tournament WD = withdrew DQ = disqualified CUT = missed the half-way cut R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play "T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts madeMasters Tournament 1 0 0 0 2 6 26 9U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 3The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 9Totals 1 0 0 0 2 9 41 21 Most consecutive cuts made – 14 (1940 PGA – 1949 PGA) Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)
References
External links